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The history of Ostrów Tumski stronghold

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The path of history leading to present-day Poznań began on Ostrów Tumski, a sandy island at the confluence of the Warta and Cybina rivers. This was a favourable location for a stronghold both from the military and transport point of view. The first settlers appeared on the island at the turn of the 9th and 10th century. In the northern part of the island small wooden buildings were erected. In the mid-10th century Mieszko I turned this group of buildings into the powerfully defended stronghold which is associated with the beginnings of the Polish state and Christianity in Poland. The original settlement was extended significantly to meet the needs of the ruler and his courtiers, and another larger walled segment (the cathedral section) was added to the east. At that time, a settlement sprang up on Zagórze, which was most likely home to the magnates connected to the prince's court and formed the third segment of the settlement.

In the prince's section, today the site of the Church of Our Lady, a two-storey stone palace (the palatium) was built for Mieszko I. This was most probably the first monumental building in the Piast state and was connected to a Marian chapel, whose construction was funded by Mieszko's wife, Dobrawa, in accordance with tradition. The remains of the palatium were uncovered during an archaeological dig in 1999 (see Mieszko's Palatium) and have not yet been put on display. The prince's section also featured a goldsmith's workshop in which ornaments for the royal family and liturgical objects were made.

In the latter part of the 10th century, the second section of the northern part of the stronghold underwent reconstruction. The relics of the baptistery erected there, probably connected to a small chapel or church and which are thought to have been a baptismal font, lie beneath the nave of the present-day cathedral. The construction of the baptistery is linked with the founding of a mission station on Ostrów Tumski by Bishop Jordan, who probably arrived here with Dobrawa's cortege and from 968 acted as Bishop of Poland from his episcopal base in Poznań.

The initiative to erect the Cathedral of St Peter, which later stood on the site of the baptistery, is associated both with Bishop Jordan and with a later time, as late as after 1000. Evidence in favour of the early construction thesis (the 2nd half of the 10th century) is the tradition in accordance with which both Mieszko I (d. 992) and Boleslav the Brave (d.1025) were buried in Poznań Cathedral.The pre-Romanesque cathedral was a huge, walled, three-aisle church, whose western end was modified to a height exceeding that of the nave and was reserved for the ruler. This royal gallery gave the duke a vantage point over the faithful.

Some historians believe that the monumental tomb on Ostrów Tumski became the hub of Piast rule in the new state and only lost precedence to Gniezno between 1070-1080. However, it did remain one of the most important strongholds. Its huge embankments (the largest of all Piast strongholds) running the length of Father Posadzego Street are testament to the military significance of the stronghold, which was intended to prevent access to the heart of the Polish state (including cities such as Gniezno), most probably against German incursions.

In 1038 Ostrów Tumski was heavily destroyed by the Czech prince Bretislav and was subsequently rebuilt. However, with Casimir the Restorer's decision to transfer Poland's capital to Kraków in the 11th century, Poznań lost the significance it had maintained for over 100 years as one of the capitals of the Piast state.When a settlement was founded on the left bank of the Warta (city rights were awarded in 1253), Ostrów Tumski island, along with the Cathedral (the "soul' of Poznań) remained the religious and spiritual centre of the city. "The former castle, seat, capital and burial place of Poland's kings; honoured with episcopal status" - this is how Jan Długosz described Poznań in the first volume of The Annals of Jan Dlugosz, or the chronicle of the famous Kingdom of Poland (15th century).